Time window for placing eggs under broody hen

After a hen goes broody what is the cut off day for placing eggs under her and expect them to hatch? I would assume that if you wait too long she would walk away with the other chicks and leave the unhatched. Am I correct that a hen usually can take a few days before she gets serious about brooding?

It may take a few days for her to go broody...is she acting broody? Place the eggs in a nice safe place in an area for her. My silkies are the broodiest! They'd sit on a clutch of rocks if I let them! She may sit on them, walk away...a few days later do the same and then all of a sudden "broodyitis" may kick in and then she sets. My hens hatch out babies and just want to keep setting if there are ones to hatch at a later time...for some reason, they just care out about hatching out those eggs more than they do the babies, so after babies fluff up under them, I usually take them out and put them in a brooder with a lamp, blanket, water, and medicated chick feed. Good luck!

Actually I am wishfull thinking for the spring lol. I plan on buying some eggs from nearby breeders and placing them under my hens as they go broody. (I am not too interested in brooding chicks myself.) I was wondering if a hen begins to act broody, how quickly do I need to go get eggs? I ask because I only have experiance with pigeons, and pigeons have a three or so day window or the chicks will starve or be abandoned. (pigeon milk thing)

Actually I am wishfull thinking for the spring lol. I plan on buying some eggs from nearby breeders and placing them under my hens as they go broody. (I am not too interested in brooding chicks myself.) I was wondering if a hen begins to act broody, how quickly do I need to go get eggs? I ask because I only have experiance with pigeons, and pigeons have a three or so day window or the chicks will starve or be abandoned. (pigeon milk thing)

Gotcha...I know my hens go broody if I leave there eggs sit in the box for a few days to a week--they all of a sudden will just see that they have a clutch of eggs in a nice spot in their box and just plop on down and barely get up to do anything until all the babies have hatched. Obviously if you have no roos, she'll only be producing blanks. She will sit on those eggs for awhile, so then you can replace them with fertile eggs and she'll stay broody for several weeks..even when chicks hatch, she won't stop being broody(at least this is the case for me) until the last egg has hatched or been removed...I have had hens sit on eggs that have been set weeks apart. I always make sure they're nice and comfy, with fresh pine bedding in their box, a little waterer, and a little dish of food.

I have a friend who has show pigeons, so I understand the whole milk thing. Chicks are totally different as they only rely on their mother for warmth, which you can take care of by placing them in a brooder with a heat lamp, food, and water. No milk involved...that's gotta be stressful! :| Hope this helps​

No problem! I got about 20 roos too many! It's too bad you don't live close by! By the way, just a side note-- a fertile egg can sit for up to two weeks and still remain fertile(as long as it's in a reasonably cool spot). It just won't start developing till the mother hen sits. I have had a clutch of eggs sit in a nesting box for well over a week and finally get a broody hen and they hatch!

I have had two broody hens and no rooster. I had to make sure they were broody, then order eggs from Speckled Hen and she is across the country from me. I kept "blank" eggs under the broodies until the fertilized eggs arrived.

To answer your question, I waited about 6 days for the eggs and they still sat long enough to hatch them. I try to get them here as soon as possible, like you, I think that the broody will only sit or set whichever it is, for an amount of time before she gives up.

One broody's eggs simply did not hatch and she was on the eggs for 31 days.

I just recently placed about 16 eggs in my hen's nest hoping she would go broody. I got lucky because as soon as she saw that many eggs, she immediately sat on them and has not left. She is a game hen, and they are usually really good sitters and mothers.